Preventing Homelessness

Overview

When someone is at risk of losing their home, they often seek help from a local housing agency or provider. But when they do, they discover that there is no single entry point, and that the processes to get help are often cumbersome and confusing. These conditions can contribute to more people being unstably housed.  

At the same time, housing agencies and providers often do not know who is at risk of becoming homeless and what services or resources may be available and effective for them. This lack of knowledge makes it more difficult for governments to ensure people at risk of homelessness have access to the help they need.  

To improve housing stability for people at risk of homelessness, the GPL works with governments and Continuums of Care to design and test interventions that coordinate resources and services, such as rental assistance, legal services, case management, and income supports.  

This includes working to identify individuals at the highest risk of becoming homeless and ensuring that resources are tailored to them effectively and equitably. We facilitate cross-system collaboration to test solutions that increase housing stability for people exiting the criminal justice or child welfare systems because we know these populations are often at a high risk for future homelessness. 

We provide technical assistance and applied research support to help local jurisdictions: 

• Implement earlier screening tools to identify who in their community is at risk of homelessness.  
• Evaluate the impact of strategies designed to reduce entrances to homelessness. 
• Pilot discharge processes to connect people exiting institutions such as hospitals, prisons, and foster care, to housing resources.   
• Convene cross-system stakeholders to leverage data, align on goals, and jointly implement interventions.